» Dustin Ackley

Thank the baseball gods and pass the popcorn, Jack Zduriencik and his scouting team are going for power position players, not pitchers, in the first rounds of the draft. This fills the pipeline with defensive options, some with great power, that can play in Seattle or be traded for proven pitching prospects. It’s a much better strategy than the majority of teams in this year’s draft, the majority of which have gone for pitchers through the middle of round two.

First-round pick Dustin Ackley (scouting report), a UNC outfielder (here’s the UNC paper’s coverage) who projects as an Major League center fielder is a “pure hitter.” Ackley has batted over .400 for the past three years in one of the toughest divisions of college baseball. Ackley holds UNC’s single-season record for total bases, having batted .412, with 103 hits, 80 RBIs and 22 home runs in his senior year. This is a solid fast-track player. He played first base this season after Tommy John surgery, but Zduriencik and Mariners director of amateur scouting Tom McNamara expect him to land in the outfield at Safeco.

Nick Franklin (scouting report), a high school shortstop from Florida, was the Mariners’ second-round pick. A “toolsy” player lauded for being a “real baseball player” by the MLB TV commentators, at just 18, Franklin will be a few years before his real potential can be projected. A catcher, right-handed high-schooler Steven Baron (scouting report) was the team’s third pick, in the compensation round, followed by University of Georgia first baseman Richard Poythress (scouting report) in the second round. Both players seem to be valued for their defensive skills, each reportedly having problems at the plate.

Another UNC player, junior second baseman Kyle Seager (scouting report), was picked with fifth pick. A solid defender who could play second or third, features some speed on the bases and moderate power at the plate. He looks like a potential sleeper, perhaps showing something the Mariners liked, as he wasn’t picked to go in the first 100 picks.

Let the Washington Nationals have Stephen Strasburg, whose “once-in-a-generation” status comes with all the risk of a pitcher in the draft plus overwhelmingly high expectations. On MLB TV today, Tony Gwynn, Strasburg’s coach at San Diego State, is reported to have said there are no comparable pitchers to the 100-mile fast ball pitcher—hopefully for the Nationals, he’ll not follow previous sure-fire pitchers like Rick Ankiel and Mark Prior, both of whom overpitched young to keep up with management’s expectations.

It is difficult to blog about the Seattle Mariners, because the team is like a bug stuck in amber. Sometimes, when you turn it in the light it is beautiful and fun to watch. At others, it is a bug, stuck in time. The 8-run comeback yesterday by the Angels, just when the Mariners were poised to sweep LA and drive the predicted leader of the AL West to .500, Seattle melted down.

Now, the M’s head into June playing .471 ball, 24 – 27, the two catalysts for change available to the club are the draft and the trade market. Both offer solid options, especially if Seattle and its fans don’t get distracted by the fact that Stephen Strasbourg will land with the Nationals—the Scott Boras client is not a lock for greatness, as Rick Ankiel, another pitcher that couldn’t lose, proved a decade ago, before Ankiel stopped pitching, had his shoulder rebuilt and learned to play outfield. Consider this statement about Strasbourg: “not since Mark Prior has there been this kind of buzz about an amateur pitcher.” I agree with John Hickey, Strasbourg going to the Nationals is not the M’s great loss.

In fact, I’d like to see Seattle focus on offense in the draft and deal with its pitching needs—three starters and middle relief, since the M’s have Chad Cordero tucked away—through trades. Dustin Ackley, a solid defensive center fielder from the University of North Carolina who hits well, has speed and a surgically repaired elbow, is anticipated to be the first hitter taken in the draft, and he’d be a good fit with the team in a couple years. Because the Mariners also have Carlos Truinfel, an outstanding shortstop prospect who recently had surgery, the team may also want to take a pass on USC’s Grant Green, a toolsy defender with a good batting eye who needs to develop a bit more power to justify the Evan Longoria comparisons I’ve read. 

Seattle should stay away from High School picks this time around, as it needs to see results sooner rather than later, and because the best prep offensive player, Donavan Tate out of Georgia, described here, along with other top prep prospects, will probably end up playing football and baseball in college. Let other teams waste picks on these guys, let these guys go to college. 

On the trade front, Adrian Beltre, Yuniesky Betancourt, Jose Lopez, Franklin Gutierrez, Wladimir Balentien, Russell Branyan, Erik Bedard, Jarrod Washburn, Chris Jakubauskas and Garret Olson should all be considered trade material, for which Jack Zduriencik should consider pitching prospects. He’s shown a good eye in player development over the years, and the Branyan signing has turned into a solid decision that he can exploit, if needed, to bring young arms to Seattle.

But something has to change, because the current state of affairs is too predictably mediocre, largely because the team is still a strong reflection of the Bavasi years. More change will create more opportunities for improvement, for the team that has started to emerge on the field to shift its center to players with the greatest drive to win.